Employers Show Robust Fourth Quarter Hiring Plans

SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) — Employers in metro Detroit, the Grand Rapids area and Michigan overall plan to hire at a brisk pace in the fourth quarter, according to the quarterly Employment Outlook Survey from the Milwaukee-based temporary help firm Manpower Inc.

In the Detroit-Warren-Livonia Metropolitan Statistical Area, 21 percent of surveyed employers plan to add staff in the fourth quarter, which starts Oct. 1 and lasts to the end of the year. Only 9 percent plan to reduce staff. Another 69 percent plan to maintain their current work force levels and 1 percent are not certain of their hiring plans. That yields a Manpower Net Employment Outlook of 12 percent. That’s down from 17 percent for the third quarter, but higher than 6 percent for the fourth quarter of 2012.

In the Grand Rapids-Wyoming MSA, 24 percent of employers plan to hire more employees, while 8 percent expect to reduce their payrolls. Another 66 percent expect to maintain their current staff levels and 2 percent are not certain of their hiring plans. This yields a Net Employment Outlook of 16 percent. That’s down from a quarter earlier, when the outlook was 24 percent, but up from the fourth quarter of 2012, when the outlook was at 11 percent.

In Michigan overall, 22 percent plan to add to their staff, while 9 percent plan cutbacks. Another 68 percent plan to maintain current staffing levels, while 1 percent are not sure of their plans. That yields a Net Employment Outlook of 13 percent. That’s down from 20 percent for the third quarter, but up from 9 percent for the fourth quarter of 2012.

In metro Detroit for the fourth quarter, job prospects appear best in construction, nondurable goods manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, financial activities, professional and business services, education and health services, leisure and hospitality and government. Employers in durable goods manufacturing, information and other services plan to reduce staffing levels. Hiring in transportation and utilities is expected to remain unchanged.

In the Grand Rapids area, job prospects appear best in durable and nondurable goods manufacturing, transportation and utilities, wholesale and retail trade, financial activities, professional and business services and leisure and hospitality. Employers in education, health services and other services plan to reduce staffing levels, while hiring in construction, information and government is expected to remain unchanged.

In Michigan overall, job prospects appear best in nondurable goods manufacturing, transportation and utilities, wholesale and retail trade, financial activities, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality and government. Employers in durable goods manufacturing, information and other services plan to reduce staffing levels, while hiring in construction and education and health services is expected to remain unchanged.

Nationally, of the more than 18,000 employers surveyed in the United States, 22 percent expect to add to their workforces, and 6 percent expect a decline in their payrolls during the fourth quarter. That’s a Net Employment Outlook of 16 percent.

The Detroit-Warren-Livonia MSA is made up of the six counties of Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne. The Grand Rapids-Wyoming MSA is comprised of Barry, Ionia, Kent, and Newaygo counties.